The Potions Mistress
by Lord Voldemort Was Framed
Summary: Set in the sixth year. The arrival of Kolima at Hogwarts brings more than any of the students or professors barguined for. There is romance in store but for who? Rated PG13 just in case.


The Potions Mistress

Kolima sighed as she stepped into the thestral drawn carriage. As much as she despised the creatures she had to admit that she took some comfort in being able to see their skeletal bodies and leathery wings. She saw nobody else in her carriage look towards them, and was only mildly surprised at this. Few people had seen death, and even fewer the violent streak that took her parents' lives in Germany and that haunted her every night.

"Excuse me, but you look a little old for a first year," said the blonde boy sitting by her, looking to his two larger acquaintances, who laughed as though he had just made a hilarious joke.

"Oh, I'm new," she said quietly, "I lived in Germany before I came to England."

"There's nothing German about you." He eyed her skeptically. She had straight dark hair and pale grey eyes, not unlike his own. Unlike several wizards and witches she, for some reason, could not have passed for a muggle.

"Well I am British," she explained, "But my parents had to move around a lot with work." She gulped heavily as she said the word "parents". It had still not been long since it happened and the word stuck in her throat and couldn't roll off her tongue properly. The boy's lips curled into a smile, or rather more of a smirk.

"What sort of work do they do?" Not many magical folk had jobs that required so much travel, so he assumed the girl was a mudblood.

"They worked for Gringotts," she mumbled, eyes closed, "They died in an accident at the beginning of the summer. I live with my aunt now."

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, not sounding at all sympathetic, "What was your name again?"

"I didn't tell you. It's Kolima."

"Malfoy, Draco," he replied, expecting the name to mean something to her, but it appeared that it did not. He supposed this must be due to her living in Germany, perhaps in a remote area where they heard little of the rest of the world.

Unlike most he met, Draco could not figure out which house she ought to be sorted into. There was nothing that particularly suggested Gryffindor, or that screamed Slytherin, but the other two houses also seemed unfitting for her. He stepped out of the carriage and offered her his hand, which she took and after blushing and muttering a "thank you", melted into the crowd ahead and left him to turn his attentions to Crabbe and Goyle.

"Hey, are you okay?" A pretty red-haired girl smiled at Kolima, who looked utterly lost.

"Well, I'm new, and not really sure where to go," she said nervously.

"Oh, well you'll need to be sorted first," she said, "You'll probably be going after the first years-" She stopped speaking as a tabby with strange markings around the eyes came their way. Professor McGonagall soon revealed her true form and Kolima didn't even blink.

"Thank you Miss Weasley," she said gravely, "If you could please come this way Miss Elddir, the headmaster would like to discuss some things with you." Kolima smiled in relief. She had heard much of Dumbledore's greatness and had been looking forward to meeting him. She thanked the girl with red hair and followed Professor McGonagall away from the rest of the students.

Ginny made her way back to Harry, Ron and Hermione, looking around for Luna on the way. She, like Draco, wondered which house "Miss Elddir" would be sorted into. She looked reserved, yet alert so her first thought was Ravenclaw, but then she didn't look so studious as most Ravenclaws. For some reason Hufflepuff didn't seem an option and she was much too nice for Slytherin, yet she would seem out of place in Gryffindor too.

"Who was that you were talking to?" Ron asked her.

"She's new," Ginny shrugged, "McGonagall just took her to see Dumbledore." Harry was clutching his forehead with his right hand, something that had become almost expected over the last year or so. The burning pain of his scar would die down after a while, but what was inside he knew would last for much, much longer. He tried not to think about it too much.

"What year is she in?" Ginny shrugged again.

"Fifth or sixth I'd guess."

In Dumbledore's office Kolima sat on the edge of her chair, not appearing particularly comfortable in her surroundings. She watched the rippling feathers of the phoenix and the flames of the fireplace, almost merging as one if she squinted.

"You have achieved very highly in your OWLs," he said, his eyes sparkling as he smiled, "An O for Defence Against the Dark Arts and Potions I see, as well as Occlumency." She bit her lip and nodded.

"At Hogwarts we generally do not offer Occlumency as an option for OWLs or NEWTs, but as you did so well I assume you might want to continue with it?"

"Well, if it's at all possible," she said, "Frau Schmitd thought I showed reasonable aptitude for it and it is something I enjoy."

"I think reasonable aptitude may be an understatement," Dumbledore laughed, "Yes, it can be arranged to continue your studies of Occlumency. There is one professor that is able to teach the subject and as you also achieved highly in Potions I'm sure he would be willing to take you on."

"Thank you Professor," she whispered, and stood up slowly.

"By the way," he added just before she left, "Perhaps it would be best to keep what we discussed before to yourself." She turned and nodded before walking away to be sorted.

She had of course heard of the four founders of the school and so knew the reputations and expectations of each house, but was interested to see where she would be put and indeed how the students were sorted. Nobody had told her this, and at her old school the sorting into houses had been completely random. At Hogwarts however, this did not seem to be the case, or at least that was what she gathered from what she had heard.

As she arrived in the Great Hall the last few first years were being sorted. Two went to Ravenclaw and one to Gryffindor, and the students whooped and cheered loudly. Harry clapped along with the rest but felt uneasy. Was he the only one wondering why Dumbledore was not present? But the headmaster soon swept past them, that familiar twinkle in his eyes as he addressed the newcomers and encouraged Kolima to place the old tattered hat over her head.

"Here goes," she thought, sitting on her hands with her fingers crossed. She had never experienced anything quite like it but with her eyes beneath the rim of the hat the spectators were not as unnerving as she had first thought.

"Hmm...intelligent, an inquiring mind...perhaps Ravenclaw? Yet there is courage without doubt, but is Gryffindor where you belong?" Kolima wished she could answer. It seemed so long before the hat finally decided on her placement.

"SLYTHERIN!" Draco concealed a smile as she walked towards the Slytherin table, his eyes following her until she sat down. His girlfriend, Pansy, clasped his arm tightly as usual but he felt himself wanting to shake her off. He longed for Kolima to look up and acknowledge his presence as he had done hers, but had no such response. No doubt he would speak with the girl later, but for now he joined in eating with the rest.

"How very curious," murmured Nearly Headless Nick.

"What?" asked Ron, his mouth still full.

"Well that is one of the longest times the Sorting Hat has ever taken to sort anyone, with a few exceptions of course," he replied, looking across to Neville, "That girl must be quite useless or extremely talented."

"Hey Harry," called Seamus, "Have you seen the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?"

"No, but anyone's got to be better than Umbridge," he said in an attempt to be optimistic despite circumstances, "Where is he...or she?"

"Oh Hagrid's in the way now." Ron groaned, shifting from side to side to try to catch a glimpse and failing miserably. Fortunately they did not have to wait long before the professor was introduced by Dumbledore.

"It has been difficult to find a candidate at all for the Defence Against the Dark Arts post this year, due to popular belief that the job is cursed, and maybe so," he smiled, "But at the last minute we were able to recruit this brave soul. Let me introduce Professor Haruka." Before them stood a tall, pale woman with untame dirty blonde hair. She looked rather like a female model of Remus Lupin, but younger and with clear, unmarked skin. In her hand she held a staff with a bright emerald coloured stone that glowed softly. Harry winced and rested his head in his hand as the whole hall clapped loudly.

Kolima shared her dormitory with Pansy Parkinson and some of the other Slytherin girls, all of whom seemed obsessed with the boy she had spoken with in the carriage. Whilst unpacking she noticed Pansy's dress robes, so extravegant compared to her own second hand ones. Her family had not been poor but they had never spent excess money on things that they did not really need.

"I love that colour," the pug-faced girl said unexpectedly. Kolima then recalled that although the robes were not so new, the designer was a famous one and no doubt Pansy had recognised this.

"Thanks." Kolima smiled at the other girl. She was used to putting up with girls like this, for it had been just the same in Germany.

"So," said one of the other girls slyly as Pansy went down to the common room, "Seen any guys you think are cute?"

"No, not really," she said absent-mindedly.

"Oh really?" the girl sniggered, "You looked pretty smitten with Malfoy back outside."

"As I said," she repeated, "Not really. That's a lovely wand by the way."

"Thank you," said the girl, dropping the subject right away, "You know Pansy thought the crystal on top was really ugly, and that it's not good quality, but..." She hushed her voice a little, "They say it once belonged to Queen Mab..."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Kolima explained, making an effort to sound convinced. The rest of the evening went on in the same way as this. Kolima would compliment the other girls and laugh at the jokes they made about other people who, she noted, were mainly Gryffindors. Pansy did not return all night.

"She'll be with Malfoy," one of the girls giggled, "And who can blame her? He's so hot!" All the girls in the dormitory seemed to agree on this and found it odd that Kolima voiced no opinion on the matter. She could definitely see the attraction but she was not about to admit this to anyone here as she had several doubts about whether any of them could be trusted.

In the boy's dormitory everyone lay asleep, everyone that is except Draco. Pansy was at his side but it all suddenly felt so alien and wrong despite the fact that this was how he had spent most of the previous year. He knew before that he did not love Pansy, but why had it only just started to matter to him? Last year he hadn't cared that she had a face like a pug or that she had put on a little weight and that she really wasn't a nice person. He then reminded himself that he was no saintly Potter and threw his head down on the pillow.


End file.
